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At the 2025 ESPY Awards held Wednesday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, ESPN honored legendary analyst and former coach Lee Corso with an emotional tribute, commemorating his nearly four-decade-long career as the heart and soul of College GameDay.
Lee Corso, who announced his retirement in April, is set to make his final appearance on the show on August 30, during Week 1 of the college football season, when Ohio State hosts Texas in Columbus, a fitting location given that Corso’s first-ever mascot headgear pick in 1996 was Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye.
The tribute featured a video montage of Corso’s career, followed by a surprise live performance from the USC marching band, accompanied by cheerleaders and fans. ESPN colleagues Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Desmond Howard joined him on stage to celebrate his contributions. The crowd erupted as fans held signs, some donning Corso-style mascot heads, and Corso was presented with a Trojan helmet, which he wore, recreating one of his iconic Saturday morning moments.
Corso, 89, addressed the audience with emotional words:
“I’m honored to be here tonight. I want to thank ESPN for this tribute and opportunity to do a job that I’ve loved for 38 years. My goal on TV was to bring a smile to everybody’s face. I hope I’ve done that. My wife, Betsy, and I have been married for 69 years. And I just wanted to thank her for loving me and allowing me to love her for all of those years. Thank you very much, ESPN, for this honor [and] tribute, and I appreciate everybody here. Thank you very much.”
Lee Corso began his broadcasting career with ESPN in 1987, after a lengthy coaching tenure that included head coaching roles at Louisville (1969–1972), Indiana (1973–1982), Northern Illinois (1984), and the Orlando Renegades in the USFL (1985). His overall college football coaching record stands at 73–85–6, with one of his career highlights being Indiana’s 1979 Holiday Bowl victory over previously unbeaten BYU.
Corso’s most famous television tradition, the mascot headgear pick, started in 1996 and became a hallmark of College GameDay.
Despite suffering a stroke in 2009, which temporarily impaired his speech and cognitive abilities, Corso returned to the set after extensive rehabilitation and continued delivering his signature charm and passion.
